Whip bulls reported that on February 15, according to foreign news reports, Apple fans began to return their Vision Pro, and discomfort, headache and eye fatigue are the main reasons why people return Vision Pro headphones.
For some Apple Vision Pro buyers, the honeymoon is over.
When the Apple Vision Pro hit the market on February 2, potential fans lined up at their local Apple Store at dawn to test out the mixed reality headset. Many of those who demonstrated the device said they were amazed by the device's spatial computing power.
It's no coincidence that over the past few days, more and more Vision Pro users on social media have said they will be returning $3,500 worth of headphones.
Apple allows users to return items within 14 days of purchase.
Comfort is one of the most frequently cited reasons for returns. People say headphones give them headaches and trigger motion sickness. The weight of the device, as well as the fact that most of the device is front-mounted, is another complaint.
Parker Ortolani, product manager at The Verge, said he believes the use of the device caused a blood vessel in his eye to rupture. At least one other person noted that they had similar experiences with redness.
To be fair, VR headset users have been reporting dry and red eyes for years.
Even though it worked as magically as I had hoped, it was too uncomfortable to wear even for short periods of time due to the weight and strap design. I wanted to use it, but I didn't dare to put it on. Otorani said he also posted information about the returned equipment.
It was too expensive and too bulky to even fit into the constant headaches and eye strain I was experiencing. 」
But hardware isn't the only problem. Another common complaint is that the Vision Pro doesn't provide enough productivity relative to**.
One user noted on Threads that looking at a figma screen makes them feel dizzy, but the device is not suitable for their work either. Another engineer wrote on the social platform X that the coding experience failed to convince him and that the focus problem caused a headache.
If I'm not using it to be productive, if I don't like using it for fun, if there aren't enough games to play, there's no reason for me to keep it. A reddit user wrote.
For Carter Gibson, Google's senior manager for community management and moderation, it's the details that matter. Things like using windows and file management can ruin productivity.
Multitasking between windows is difficult. Gibson said in an exchange on Threads. Vision Pro doesn't support multiple file types at all. I also don't see how creating slides in VP would be less effort than using a mouse and keyboard to create slides – even if it does feel like it's in Minority Report. 」
Collin Michael, a self-proclaimed Apple nerd, would agree with him. In a youtube** he uploaded, he explained why he was returning the Vision Pro, saying that the weight of the device was clearly enough to be a burden. He says that using headphones to do what he would normally do on an iPhone or Mac, like opening a Safari browser or searching for a used car, requires extra steps that are simply not worth it.
Some Reddit users who claim to return Vision Pro have also mentioned the discomfort of wearing headphones.
Another complaint expressed by Vision Pro customers is the disappointment with the visual quality of the headphones.
Mesbahi writes on X that the device's ability to overlay virtual applications above the user's line of sight is poor when a clear view of the surroundings is required. When looking at real objects, his vision remains rough in most lighting conditions.
For example, when he looks at his computer or iPhone, he says the image quality isn't clear enough to see what's on the screen. The same goes for reading ** in small print.
Michael noted that he needed to turn his head to see the different elements on the screen because of the huge black bars around the screen that blurred and distorted his vision by 10 to 20 percent. Similarly, when he cast his MacBook onto his headphones, he stated that the icon at the bottom of the laptop screen was hard to read.
Some customers simply don't think the Vision Pro offers enough unique experiences to justify its high ** – even though Apple has built more than 600 new apps for it.
YouTuber Kane Sutter said in his blog: "There aren't enough diverse experiences and diverse content right now to warrant about two hours a week of using it, and I feel like you need to justify buying it with this."
* Explains why he returned it. Some admit that they buy a product with the intention of returning it just to experience its functionality.
If Apple thinks I'm willing to pay $4,000 for it, they're crazy. Vision Pro customer Matt Schneider says he likes to use it to scroll through Instagram and YouTube.
When asked to respond to the criticism, Apple did not respond immediately. The tech giant also didn't specify how many returns.
Despite criticism from Mesbahi, Michael, and Sutter and plans to return the headphones, they expressed enthusiasm for Apple's forward-thinking vision and the headphones' cutting-edge features.
They say they are willing to revisit the product again in the future once the technology advances. That is, if the Vision Pro becomes cheaper.
To justify keeping it, I need to lower ** to at least $2,000. Michael said.
It's hard to say how the voices of these early adopters will impact the future of Vision Pro. Many of those who indicated they would like to return the product also said they were eager to try the second-generation Vision Pro. Others emphasize that technology isn't the immediate problem, but the lack of killer apps or comfort. It's also hard to say how common this phenomenon is. While these users speak freely on social**, we don't know the actual return rate or what Apple's internal expectations are for the Vision Pro.